Personal Vehicle Ownership and Operating Cost Calculator (Version 2.0) for Quantifying On-road Vehicle Operating Costs
In 2018, the Georgia Tech National Center for Sustainable Transportation (NCST) research team developed the Vehicle Ownership and Operating Cost Calculator (VCC) Version 1.0, allowing users to calculate and understand total vehicle ownership costs over the lifespan of the vehicle. Traditional resources typically found on automotive websites offer five-year cost projections, but often overlook or simplify long-term expenses such as financing, maintenance, energy use, and depreciation, which vary widely based on region, vehicle type, and individual driving habits. By allowing users to input personalized data, the calculator provides a tailored, detailed analysis of ownership costs, helping users make more informed decisions about vehicle purchases. The VCC is designed to serve as an educational resource (highlighting the cost categories associated with vehicle ownership) and as an instructional aid in courses that examine transportation planning and economic assessments. The VCC allows users to input data specific to their circumstances, including vehicle purchase price, loan details, annual mileage, insurance, energy costs, maintenance, and other costs like parking and tolls. Using data from sources such as the Georgia Department of Revenue’s vehicle pricing database and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Fuel Economy Database, the calculator provides customized cost estimates. The tool provides users (students and the public) with a thorough understanding of the full costs associated with lifetime vehicle ownership, by offering a comprehensive breakdown of ownership costs, including hidden expenses often overlooked in purchase decisions. The original model became dated, because the tool did not have the ability to automatically ingest and update vehicle ownership cost data. This project will update the tool with new data, develop data ingestion procedures, and modify output formats to support economic assessments of roadway design alternatives. To make the VCC accessible and support technology transfer, this project will update the calculator to accommodate the latest vehicle technologies (2018-2025) and to generate an online model presence. The research team will update fuel prices, maintenance, insurance costs, and depreciation rates to capture recent market changes. The team will also assess and implement enhanced reporting features to provide users with more detailed breakdowns and visualizations of ownership costs. Finally, the team will modify the structure of the model so that the tool can compile operating costs per vehicle-mile for observed and modeled on-road fleet compositions and operating conditions. The deliverables will include an updated version of the calculator accessible as both an Excel tool and a web interface.
Language
- English
Project
- Status: Active
- Funding: $120,000.00
-
Contract Numbers:
DOT 69A3552348319
DOT 69A3552344814
-
Sponsor Organizations:
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology
University Transportation Centers Program
Department of Transportation
Washington, DC United States 20590National Center for Sustainable Transportation
University of California, Davis
Davis, CA United StatesGeorgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta
790 Atlantic Drive
Atlanta, GA United States 30332-0355 -
Managing Organizations:
National Center for Sustainable Transportation
University of California, Davis
Davis, CA United StatesUniversity of California, Davis
1 Shields Ave
Davis, California United States 95616Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta
790 Atlantic Drive
Atlanta, GA United States 30332-0355 -
Project Managers:
Cliff, Sydney
-
Performing Organizations:
National Center for Sustainable Transportation
University of California, Davis
Davis, CA United StatesGeorgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta
790 Atlantic Drive
Atlanta, GA United States 30332-0355 -
Principal Investigators:
Guensler, Randall
- Start Date: 20260401
- Expected Completion Date: 20270331
- Actual Completion Date: 0
- USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Automobile ownership; Calculators; Cost estimating; Operating costs; Web applications
- Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Finance; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Vehicles and Equipment;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01985465
- Record Type: Research project
- Source Agency: National Center for Sustainable Transportation
- Contract Numbers: DOT 69A3552348319, DOT 69A3552344814
- Files: UTC, RIP
- Created Date: Apr 12 2026 11:22PM